So as most of you know, this is the time of year where I’m least prolific on the site. I just hate wasting space trying to guess what free agents will be available and what trades are possibilities. That coupled with the uncertainty of the CBA means I’ll just respond to things as they actually play out.

The End of the Combine?

I’ve long argued that the scouting combine is one of the more pointless events of the football season. It is an event promoting the value of physical tools that often don’t translate to the football field. It leads to organizations salivating over the physical strength of Robert Gallery and sprinter’s speed of Troy Williamson. A source told Peter King:

“These guys go out and watch players all fall, then we all watch the tape of all these guys, and we see what kind of football players they are. That’s scouting. Who plays good football in pads? That’s scouting. Now we need the combine for the medical evaluations and the personal baggage stuff. But don’t come in after the combine and tell me you want to change some guy and move him way up because he ran faster than you thought he would. That’s where you get in trouble, and that’s why our draft board is pretty well set.”

The truth is that the combine is a product of the over-evaluation that is beginning to plague the NFL. It’s nice to see teams coming out and saying that how a guy plays on Saturday might actually give a hint to how he’ll play on Sunday.

Good News / Bad News

I’m not going to go crazy about the Chicago Bears raising ticket prices. Nobody likes paying more for anything so we get it. And the Bears haven’t made the playoffs in three years so it seems like the wrong off-season to make this kind of move. In the same article, however, Ted Phillips responds to the Julius Peppers rumors:

“The budget we have set will be very competitive,” Phillips said. “Assuming we can win the battles we want to win, I think we will be able to improve our team in free agency.”

I’d like to see the Bears stock up the roster for a 2010 run. That’s what I’d like to see.